Choosing to be an advocate

Thank you, Henry Petty, for sharing this inspiring story with us! For more from Henry, check out his blog.

Today, our company had a bone marrow drive to benefit those in need of a match and for Leslie Harris. I had the pleasure of meeting Leslie, as she stopped by to say, “thank you,” to everyone participating.

Leslie Harris contracted a rare form of leukemia and has six months to a year to live unless she finds a bone marrow match. She doesn’t look like someone who has cancer. A former meteorologist for Fox News, she looked like what one would think a TV personality would and not a cancer patient.

But watching her tell her story of how she heard God speak to her when she was told the news of cancer made her not so much an untouchable TV celebrity, but someone truly humbled. She said God spoke to her in that moment, “You can either be a victim, or an advocate.” She decided to be an advocate not for herself, but for children who don’t have a voice in need of a transplant.

She started to break down as she spoke of how difficult it is to ask of others, and even harder when they say, “no.”

It’s surreal when you stand there with someone who possibly could be gone within the year. She is stronger than I am, for sure. She definitely spoke not of the latest fashions or frivolous material things, but of what really matters in life – her son. She just wants to see him grow up.

I am truly grateful for her selflessness to help others knowing that God will take care of her.